Hillary Scott admits her studio time as a solo artist was more emotional than the many days and nights she’s spent in the studio with Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum. Of course there’s the obvious — lead single “Thy Will” was inspired by, and helped her emotionally heal after a miscarriage — but family made the experience different, in a good way.

The 13 songs on her Love Remains album are all emotional. “Come to Jesus” was the second most difficult to record, and Scott admits she really broke down trying to get through that one. “Safe Haven” was nearly impossible to finish.

“Every time I would go to say ‘My Paw Paw,' because he’s been gone for five years this November, I would just lose it,” Scott says, referring to the end of the song, as her younger sister Rylee sits alongside her nodding in agreement. Love Remains is a family record, which made the experience even more emotional.

“My heart is in every song that I’ve ever recorded but about my faith and family — it’s just a little bit different side of me,” she tells Taste of Country, laughing as she adds, “I sing these songs a little different than I sing ‘Bartender’ or ‘Downtown.’”

Rylee is just 16 years old, and in many ways she’s getting to know her big sister for the first time. They stayed as close as possible while Big Sis was on the road with Lady Antebellum, but the last decade has meant a lot of days and nights away from home. “It was just really cool having all of us together, representing our family,” Rylee says. “It’s the story of life and you can’t escape that. You have to go through life and it happens.”

“I left for college when Rylee was almost five,” Hillary adds, “and then was in school for two and a half years, met the boys, left and we just have been jet setting around the world for almost a decade. There are so many of those years from ages four to 16 almost, we obviously have stayed close and kept in contact but [during the last year] there’s a lot of in person being able to lean on her shoulder and talk to her about what went on in school that day. Those things, those moments, that life that we have been able to make up for a lot of lost time.”

For the record Hillary is a great big sister, and if she needed to give direction in studio she did it in the most constructive way. “Picky” Ricky Skaggs was the one who harped on details, which seems to have suited both Scott women fine. Now that they’re playing shows together to promote Love Remains, the two have started to share a wardrobe for the first time. Rylee flashes her wrist to show she has on Hillary’s bracelet. They have the same shoe size.

“I know I can always count on her for a cool leather jacket,” the younger sister says as both start laughing. For these two love doesn’t just remain, it thrives.